Tongue-depressor.



E.R. MILLER & B.A. BOWERS.

TONGUE DEPRESSOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1915.

I Patented June 13, 1916 A UNITED STATES, PATENTQFFIGE.

...JEPHBAIM-R, Minn-BRAND BARTLETT A. BowERS;.-:en rnEnEnIemivr-ABXLAnD.

, ."roNeUn-nEPnEssoR.

' To-aZZ whom it may concern: 1

Be itknown that we, EPHRAIM R. MILLER and BARTLETT A. Bownns, citizens of the United States, residing at Fredericlnin the county of' Frederick and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tongue-Depressors and we do hereby declare the following to be a, full, clear-,and exact description of the invention, such as willenable othersskilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. Y

The general object of this invention'is to improve the construction of tongue depressors, so that no pressure-willbe exerted on the dorsum or top of the tongue of the patient, when the depressor is in operativeposition, thereby preventing gagging of the patient; also to provide a depressor that can accommodate various sizes oftongues, simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and so constructed that it will admit of every part of the depressor being 131101- oughly cleaned to render the entire device sanitary; and to this end the invention consists in the provision of a pair of elongated bars, of unequal lengths, one end of "each bar being provided with an enlarged U- shaped head adapted to engage the tongue of a person, one of the heads being larger than the other head, and each having its sides formed to agree with the shape of the tongue, the said elongated bars, when in operative position, adapted to lie at right angles to each other and having detachable connection with each other, and when in inoperative position, to overlie and to have connection with each other so, as to occupy a minimum amount of space.

Other objects will appear and be better understood from that embodiment of our invention of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the depressing bars when in operative position, Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the connecting end of one of the bars, Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the connecting end of the other depressing bar, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the depressing bars when in inoperative position, showing the same in superposed position.

Referring to the drawings more in detail,

the letter a designates the tongue depressor,-

- preventing gagging p fl t iPa n Patented Ju11e 13,1916. Application filedJ'unc 15, 1915., i Serial No. 34,192.

as anentirety, and which depressor includes shaped head, the'head carried by the bar 1 being designated-by the numeral 3, and the;

head :on the bar 2 being shown at 4. The

sides of the U-shapedhead, are spaced sufficiently from" each other so that no pressure will be exerted. on the dorsum, or top of the tongue of the patient, when the de pressor' is in depressing position, thereby of the patient. -The bar 1 is of a length greater than the bar 2,

and likewise thehead 3 is of agreater size than the head 4., which is carried by the bar'2. By virtue of having the bars and heads of unequal sizes, various widths of tongues can be accommodated. Each U- shaped head has its sides, which are desig nated respectively, by the numerals 5 and 6, longitudinally curved and also transversely curved, so as to conform with the shape of the tongue. When in operative position, the bars 1 and 2 are adapted to lie at right angles to each other, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when the heads carried by one of the bars is inserted into the mouth, the opposite bar will lie vertically and form a hand grip whereby pressure may be exerted upon the bar which extends into the persons mouth, resulting in the depression ofthe persons tongue. 2

In order to hold the arms in the angular relation, thebar 1 is provided with an elongated lug 7, which extends longitudinally of the bar 1, as shown in Fig. 2, and has its sides beveled in the direction of the adjacent side of said bar 1, the said lug being located adjacent the end opposite the end having the tongue engaging head 3 thereon, and the bar 2 has the end opposite the end carrying the head 4:, provided with a dove tailed opening 8 adapted to receive the lug 7, as shown in Fig. 1, and has its walls 9 arranged in diverging relation, to agree with the restricted width of the lug 7 The bar 2 is also providedwith a longitudinal slot 10, one end of the slot opening into the end, in which the opening 8 is located, and communicates with the opening as shown in Fig. 3. The bars 1 and 2 when in inopera- V perposed position, said bars Will occupy a minimum amount, of spaceyso that the depressor can be carried in a medical case.

VHav1ngthus described our "lllYGIlt-IOII, What We claimas new is I1. A tongue depressor comprising, a pair end, ,the longer bar having a longitudinally one". of its terminals provided with, a I transversely extend ng slot restricted toward one extending lug thereon locatedadjacent one 20 I of depressing bars, one of theloa'rs having one term nal provided with a transversely of itsgt erminals and decreasing in width throughout its length; the said longitudinallyextending lug onthe longer bar being adapted to be received by the transverse .jslot in the smaller bar, so as to hold the said bars in the angular relation.

-2. Atonguej depressor comprising a pair extending s'lotdecreasing invvidth toward Copies 01 thispatent may be obtained for oneend, the, said bar having a longitudinal slottherein having one end opening into the transverse slot and restricted toward its opposite end, the other bar having a longitudinally extending lug thereon, adjacent one terminal and decreasing in Width throughout its length, the said depressing bars when in operative position lying at 'rightangles to each other and the longitudinally extending lug of the second mentioned bar received by the transverse slot in the first mentioned bar, and When in inoperative position superposed on each other and to have the longitudinally extending lug on the second mentioned bar detachably received by the longitudinal slot in the first mentioned bar, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures in presence of tWo Witnesses.

r VEPHRAIM R. MILLER. BARTLETT A. BOl VERS. Witnesses: I

'E. B.'NICODEMUS, N. E. KEFAUVER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

